At the 16th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO, the art of bakhshi was included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as an element of the intangible cultural heritage of Uzbekistan, the Ministry of Tourism said.

During the session, the Uzbek delegation, headed by Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the National Commission of Uzbekistan for UNESCO, Aziz Abdukhakimov, presented the art of bakhshi to the committee, and also told what efforts the government was making to preserve and promote this art, including the organization of an international bakhshi biennale festival in Uzbekistan.

A special video showing the history of the development of bakhshi art on the territory of Uzbekistan was showcased at the event.

The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage approved the inclusion of the element on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by acclamation (broad consensus) without any debate or vote.

The Bakhshi Art has become the ninth element of the intangible cultural heritage included in the Representative List of Uzbekistan. Previously, the list added Shashmakom (2008, together with Tajikistan), the cultural space of Boysun (2008), Katta ashula (2009), Askia (2014), Tradition and culture of pilaf (2016 year), Navruz (2016, together with Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey and Central Asian countries), Khorezm dance Lazgi (2019) and the art of miniature (2020, together with Azerbaijan , Iran and Turkey).

In the coming years, it is planned to submit to the UNESCO committee as nominees the ceramic school of Uzbekistan, as well as a number of multinational traditions, such as the art of handicrafts, embroidery, the rubab and the tradition of stories by Khoja Nasreddin.